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If you're like a majority of Americans, you may feel like you paid too much in federal taxes for last year. The bad news is that short of discovering some additional tax breaks you qualify for and amending your return, there's not much you can do about it. The fact that taxes are near historic lows and the government is still having trouble paying current and future bills means that the prospect of the government lowering taxes is probably also dim. The good news is that there are a lot of things you can do to reduce your own future federal income taxes. Aside from drastic life changes like having a child, starting a business, or buying a home, here are some steps you can start taking now:

If your employer offers a pre-tax retirement plan like a 401(k) or 403(b), you can contribute up to $17,500 for 2014 and an additional $5,500 if you turn age 50 or older this year. (If you also have a 457 plan, you can contribute that same amount to that plan too.) If you don't have a retirement plan at work, you can contribute up to $5,500 to a traditional IRA (plus another $1k if you turn age 50 or older this year) and deduct the contributions from your taxable income. If your employer has a plan, you can still contribute to a traditional IRA but whether you can take a deduction depends on your income.

Whether you're contributing to a pre-tax 401(k) or taking a deduction on an IRA, you're not paying tax on that money now but you still have to pay taxes on it when you eventually use the money. So how is that a benefit? The obvious one is that since most people need less income in retirement, you may end up retiring in a lower tax bracket.

But even if you don't, there's still a good chance that you'll end up paying a lower average rate on that money. That's because not all of your income gets taxed at your tax bracket. For example, let's say you have a joint taxable income of $100k. That puts you in the 25% tax bracket. But the first $18,150 is only taxed at 10%, the next bucket of income up to $73,800 is only taxed at 15%, and only the $26,200 above that $73,800 is taxed at the 25% rate. According to this calculator, your overall average rate would actually be 16.71%.

When you contribute money to these accounts, it "comes off the top" so in this case, it would have all been taxed at that 25% tax rate. However, when you withdraw that money, some of it may not get taxed at all because of exemptions, deductions, and credits and a lot of it may end up getting taxed at those lower brackets. So if you retire with the same taxable income, you'll still probably end up paying a lower average tax rate on those 401(k) withdrawals.

Finally, even if you end up paying the same average rate, it still benefits you because the money that would have gone to taxes each year is instead staying invested where it can continue to grow. Using this calculator, someone contributing $17,500 a year to their 401(k) plan for 30 years, earning a 7% average rate of return, and paying a 25% tax rate, would end up with $500k more after-taxes than if they had invested that same amount outside their 401(k).

Of course, you could also end up paying a higher tax rate in retirement if your income is higher or if rates go up. This brings us to...

2) Contribute more to a Roth retirement account.

Your employer may offer you a Roth option in your retirement plan or you may be able to contribute to a Roth IRA. (If your income is too high to contribute directly to a Roth IRA, you can always try the "backdoor" method.) The contribution limits are the same as the traditional accounts but unlike the pre-tax accounts, the Roth accounts won't reduce your taxes now. The advantage is that as long as you have the account for at least 5 years and are over age 59 1/2, all the earnings are tax-free so it doesn't matter how high your future tax rate is. (Having tax-free income can also help you qualify for health insurance subsidies if you retire before qualifying for Medicare at age 65.)

3) Contribute more to an HSA (health savings account).

If you have a high-deductible health care plan, you may be eligible to contribute up to $3,300 for individual coverage or $6,550 for family coverage to an HSA. These basically combine the best of both worlds because the contributions are pre-tax and you can withdraw the money tax-free for qualified health care expenses. Once you turn age 65, you can also withdraw the money penalty-free for non-medical expenses but it will be taxable.

4) Contribute more to FSAs (flexible spending accounts).

Like HSAs, FSAs allow you to contribute money pre-tax and then use the money tax-free for qualified health care or dependent care expenses depending on the type of FSA. But unlike HSAs, you may have to use the money by the end of the year or lose it so this should really be for those expenses you know you'll have like prescription drugs, glasses and contact lenses, or day care. (Some companies allow you to roll up to $500 to the following calendar year.) If you're in the 25% tax bracket, you're essentially getting a 25% discount on those expenses.

If you have a child that you're planning to spend money on for education, you may want to consider putting some money away now for that. Some tax-advantaged options include a custodial account (first $1k of earnings are tax-free and the next $1k are taxed at the child's rate) and US Savings Bonds, a 529 plan, and a Coverdell Education Savings Account, all of which the earnings can be used tax-free for qualified education expenses. Money can also be used from an IRA for qualified education expenses without penalty. You can compare the various options here.